


Don't do this to me

by Lokisarmy0602



Series: By Your Side [23]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 30 Day OTP Challenge, Arguing, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-06
Updated: 2014-10-06
Packaged: 2018-02-20 03:48:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2413880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lokisarmy0602/pseuds/Lokisarmy0602
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>His heart broke the second she slipped the ring off her finger, shattering into more than a billion pieces... it was all because of one argument. One small argument that blew up into something so big that Steve couldn't control.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Don't do this to me

**Author's Note:**

> 30 day otp challenge - Steve/Maria. Day 23
> 
> Arguing

Pepper, when she usually makes her way through the lobby after coming out of the elevator in Stark Industries, hears either silence, Maria shouting down the phone at someone or classical music. The classical music meant that Steve was there and he would always insist that Maria relaxed and would put music on for her. The couple had been engaged for around two weeks now and everything had been happy sailing. Until now.

Pepper walked down the corridor to hear the shouts of Maria. She thought that Maria was shouting at someone down the phone, but when she heard the person respond with a shout back at Maria, she frowned a little. It wasn't odd to come across a shouting match in Maria's office but she never excepted to hear these two people arguing.

Pepper came to a stop at the closed down, feeling rude to listen to the two shouting but realized she couldn't just leave now. So she waited at the door and listened. The glass door and window's had been blacked out so no-one could see in or out. Maria would end up killing Pepper about listening in later, but if Maria wanted someone to vent to it would end up being Pepper... Or Nat.

"...not about that Steve!" Maria's voice was loud yet calm at the same time. The brunette was keeping it together.

"I've said I was sorry!" Steve snapped back at her. Pepper had never excepted the solider to snap at Maria. "But I guess that doesn't matter to you does it!"  
"It doesn't matter now Steve," Maria sighed.

"I thought that we were suppose to trust each other... I guess that went out of the window didn't it," Steve said, his voice low and harsh.

"Trust. Is that what you want?" Maria let out a harsh laugh. "You've lied to me many times back when we worked at SHIELD," Maria replied to Steve, her voice harsher than his.

"Do not throw any of that back in my face Hill. You've got plenty of lies that built up while you were with SHIELD" Steve said. "Like Coulson, Fury, Project z-"

"All off them were to protect you Captain," Maria said, snapping his formal title, which she only used when it was a professional situation or she was very angry with him. 

"Yet your throwing a little slip up of my words in my face. I said I was sorry. I know..." Steve began.

"I can't believe you would say something like that to me!" Maria snapped back at him. "I have gone through a lot in my life. And yes I do know what it's like to lose someone you love so don't you ever again say I don't," Maria said.

"People do and say things they regret when in a heart argument," Steve sad. So it hadn't just been about what Steve had said, Pepper thought to herself. Then what was it?

"I won't regret this," Maria said and then there was silence on the other side of the door until there was a deep mumble,  
"Maria please don't do this," Steve said, his voice breaking towards the end.

"No Steve... The damage is done," And with that the argument came to an end. There was muffled talk which Pepper could only pick up some words. She raised her fist and knocked.  
*~~~~~~*

Maria turned from her desk, to face the door, turning away from Steve who was stood near the couch in her office. She walked over to the door, knowing it was Pepper because she knew it was her knock. Maria opened the door and gave Pepper a small smile.

"Is it a bad timing?" Pepper asked, Maria knew then and there that Pepper had heard what they were talking... shouting about. Steve straighten up and took a deep breath as Maria stepped out of the doorway to let Pepper walk into her office. Pepper noticed how Steve's eyes were blood shot, tears threatening to fall.

"Miss Potts... Hill," Steve said, before walking out of the office, a little red from shouting. Maria let the door shut close with a bang before walking over to her large chair behind her desk. She pulled it out and then flopped into it with a sigh. Pepper titled her head.

"I'm not going to ask if your ok, or about what happened because I know you know I was listening and a lot of SI colleagues were too," Pepper said gesturing to the door. "So what I'm going to say is that... Do you want to go get them cocktails tonight?" Pepper asked and Maria gave a huffed laugh. She looked up from her desk, leaning further back into her chair with her arms on the arm rests. Maria let out a long sigh looking up at Pepper, a slight smile on her face.  
"I would love to," Maria breathed to the blonde. Pepper smiled lightly at the women and then placed the file she had in her right hand on the desk. Maria sighed and sat up going into business mode. She ran a hand through her lose hair, wiping her eyes slightly.

"Eight o'clock, I'll pick you up... Don't be late," Pepper added turning to look at Maria when she was at the door.

"I won't," Maria replied. Pepper knew Maria was going to be ready twenty minutes before she needed to be ready. She had to be on top of things, she had been the deputy director of SHIELD after all... Until it collapsed.

That was knew Pepper noticed Maria's left hand. No ring.

"Erm... Maria?" Pepper asked, Maria hummed in reply, not looking away from the files. "Your ring... where is it?" Pepper asked and Maria looked up to her. The brunette looked down at her and then rubbed the place where her engagement ring should have been.

"I may have done the most stupidest thing in my life," Maria said and Pepped stared at her, waiting for the answer. "I... I gave the ring back to Steve," Maria said and then took a deep breath. "Pepper... I'm so stupid," Maria breathed out, leaning forward and placing her head in her hands.

"Oh Maria," Pepper said and moved closer to the desk. She pulled out the chair and sat down, facing Maria. Maria shook her head and looked up at Pepper, letting her hands drop to the table.

"Did you see him then?" Maria asked Pepper. "He looked like I had just hit a puppy," Maria said and Pepper gave a sympathetic look. "I don't know what to do." Maria told her. Pepper took Maria's hand across the table.

"What your going to do is take off early and get yourself ready for tonight. I'll get Nat to come too and then you can tell us what happened. We'll sort this out, don't worry," Pepper said and Maria just looked at the CEO. "Eight o'clock tonight," Pepper said before standing up and walking out of the office.

The minute the CEO had left Maria leaned back into her chair more, putting her feet up on the table. She stared at the closed door and thought about the argument that had just taken placed.

"Jarvis lock the door," Maria said, her voice quite. The click of the lock echoed through the silent office.

The relationship between her and Steve was supposed to be based on trust, honesty and love. Now...Well now Maria thought that the relationship was going down hill. It was her fault. She shouldn't have given the ring back. She didn't mean it, it was just the heat of the moment. Now she understood why Steve had said what he said.

The heat of the moment.

She couldn't remember what they had been talking about, but the conversation had gotten a little out of hand and Steve had snapped at Maria, saying she didn't understand what it was like to lose someone you loved.

It was her fault. She was scared. Scared of giving her heart out to someone to have it broken again. She was scared off getting married to Steve, even though she knew Steve loved her with all his heart and she loved him with all hers. Yet she couldn't. She used the argument as an excuse to give Steve the ring back when she couldn't have. She wanted to marry Steve, but she was too scared.

She shock her head and straighten up in her chair. She leaned over to her computer and started to get to work, setting an alarm on her phone for six. Even though Pepper had said to leave early, Maria knew if she did that then the guilt would just eat at her.

When eight o'clock came around Pepper had already checked up on Steve on his floor in Stark Tower. Pepper had found Steve in his own personal gym, beating the crap out of one of the many punching bags. Pepper had seen Steve at his worst now that he was living in the tower but this was the worst she had seen him. About five punching bags lay on the other side of the room, against the wall. He looked very upset and sweat was dripping down from him. Pepper decided to leave him. He was too into his workout to even hear her calling his name. She threaten Tony to check up on Steve after she left.

Happy and Natasha stood waiting at the car while Pepper walked up the stairs to the apartment building door and rang the buzzer. After ten seconds Maria's voice appeared.

"Coming down now," Maria said through the speaker on the brick wall. Pepper stepped down the stairs and then walked over to the car. Pepper told Happy that he could wait in the car and Happy climbed into the drivers seat. Pepper had worn black trousers with a white silk top on. She had her hair down straight with red lip stick and black high heels.

"How was she after the argument?" Natasha asked, the assassin was wearing black jeans, a black top and a brown leather jacket. Her hands were in her pockets, leaning against the car.

"Regretting what she had done and calling herself stupid," Pepper said. Natasha nodded as the door to the apartment building opened up and Maria walked out. She was wearing some black skinny jeans with a deep blue blouse on with a black leather jacket. She topped the outfit off by wearing her hair down without straightening it, with black high heels like Pepper. Her fashion however was very different to Pepper's. You could defiantly see who had more money.

Maria walked down the steps and gave Pepper a half hug. Natasha stepped forward and pulled Maria into a tighter hug than what Pepper had. Pepper stood back and opened the car door. She understood that Natasha knew Maria better, they had know each other longer and had gone through a lot together.

"Come on, I know the perfect place to go," Pepper said and then climbed into the back of the black car followed by the two of them. They ended up going to a posh cocktail bar in New York, called La Barre Rouge. Both Maria and Natasha were a little under dressed but it didn't bother them. Maria wanted, needed, a drink.

Once they sat down on a real black leather couches in the corner of the room, away from the others in the cocktail bar Pepper turned to look at Maria.

"You can vent to me and Nat if you want and tell us about it or we can forget about everything and just drink cocktails and have fun. But I remind you, we will have this conversation tomorrow in the morning. So would you rather have it now and get drunk afterwards or would you rather have it while your working and supporting a hangover?" Pepper asked Maria, who picked up the cocktail their waiter had just placed on the table. Happy stood guard near them, his eyes scanning around the room. Maria looked over to Nat and then back at Pepper, she then sighed.

"We'll have it now, but promise me you will get drunk after," Maria said, give a look to the two women.

"Defiantly," Natasha said, picking up the other cocktail.

Three cocktail glasses later Maria had finished telling Pepper and Natasha what had happened.

"So let me get this straight. The whole giving the ring back thing was because Steve said you didn't know what it was like to loss someone you loved. Even though you have had many discussion's about both of your pasts, " Pepper said and Maria nodded. She took a sip of her four deep blue cocktail.

"Well, and about trust. That was how it had started," Maria said. "It's not just that though. I thought he understood I have many, many people that I have loved and then lost them...I may have over reacted a little though..." Maria trailed off.

"A little?" Natasha question. "You have no ring on your finger Maria. I think that's more than a little over reaction," Natasha said and it was true, giving the ring back was an over reaction.

"In the heat of the moment we say things that we regret," Pepper said, picking up her own cocktail glass and giving Natasha a look. Maria looked down at the green liquid, swirling it around in the glass. "And he understands your past Maria. He is the only person you let into your life that knows about everything you've been though. It was just the slip of the tongue. He didn't mean it."

"...I may be a little scared to marry him," Maria said.  
"We know," Pepper said, and Maria frowned. "We're not idiots Maria." 

"Yeah, we know what you've been through in your life and know that you don't let people in easily," Natasha said. Maria sighed and took a sip of her cocktail. 

"I need to get the ring back," Maria said.

"And what you're going to is tomorrow," Natasha began and then looked at the empty cocktail glasses. "Actually the day after tomorrow you're going to go to the tower and talk it out with Steve," Natasha told her.

"It's going to be fine," Pepper said. Maria sighed and downed her cocktail.

"Right, can I take us to a proper bar down?" Maria asked and Natasha smirked. 

*~~~~~~~~*

The three ladies were guided into the back of the black limo by Happy after having too many drinks at one of Maria's favourite bars that she always went to. He pulled out into the road and began to drive towards Maria's apartment building.

"I don't think I'm going to make it up the stairs. Elevator's been broken for god knows how long," Maria mumbled and Natasha laughed.

"I would offer you to come back but..." Pepper said and Maria nodded, possibility of her bumping into Steve while drunk was high. Happy pulled up to Maria's apartment building.

"I had fun tonight guys, I really needed it," Maria said, climbing out of the car.

"Same," Natasha said.

"Thank you."

"No problem Maria," Pepper said.

"I wish you well in getting up the stairs," Natasha said before laughing. Maria shut the door and waited for the black to drive off before turning and glaring at the stairs up to her apartment building.

**Author's Note:**

> I know, I'm a bitch right. You'll just have to wait to see what happens. I'm so evil ;)


End file.
